The harmala alkaloids occur in Peganum
harmala in concentrations of roughly 3%, though tests have
documented anywhere from 2-7%, as natural sources tend to vary
widely in chemical makeup. Harmala alkaloids are also found in the
Banisteriopsis caapi vine,
the key plant ingredient in the sacramental beverage Ayahuasca, in
concentrations that range between 0.31-8.43% for harmine,
0.03-0.83% for harmaline and 0.05-2.94% for tetrahydroharmine.[1] Other
psychoactive plants are often added to Ayahuasca to achieve
visionary states of consciousness; for example leaves from Psychotria
viridis, which is a source of dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The
harmala alkaloids serve to potentiate these brewed compounds by
preventing their breakdown in the digestive tract. The harmala
alkaloids are not especially psychoactive on their own, even at
high dosages, when vomiting and diarrhea become the main
effect.

Harmala alkaloids are also found in many other plants, such as
tobacco and passion flower,
but at only low concentrations.

Contents

Telepathine

Telepathine was originally thought to be the
active chemical constituent of Banisteriopsis caapi, a key
plant ingredient in the preparation of Ayahuasca; a sacramental
beverage from the Amazon. This isolated chemical was so named
because of the reported effects of Ayahuasca among the indigenous
users, including: collective contact with and/or visions of
jaguars, snakes, and jeweled birds, and ancestral spirits; the
ability to see future events; and as the name suggests, telepathic communication
among tribal members. It was assumed to be a newly discovered
chemical at the time, however, it was soon realized that
Telepathine was already more widely known as "harmine" from its previous discovery in Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue).

Uses

As mentioned above, some harmala alkaloids can be used as an MAOI
(MonoAmine
Oxidase Inhibitor) to facilitate
the ingestion of DMT and other tryptamines; while not
generally used as a hallucinogen alone, there are reports of such
use.[2] In high
doses, it acts as purgative. Harmala alkaloids from
Banisteriopsis caapi have been used to treat Parkinson's disease. Additionally,
harmaline is used as a model for Essential Tremor
(ET) when injected to animals. Rats being treated with harmaline
exhibit severe tremors after 5-7 minutes.